The North West MEC for Health and Social Development, Mme Onewang Rebecca Kasienyane said to the management, hospital CEOs and health facility managers that she is pleased with health service delivery contingency measures that the department has put in place to avert the impact of the public service strike. MEC Kasienyane has made effort to visit various health facilities in the province to assess the impact of the strike on health services, to intervene and to provide support to non striking health officials.
The MEC also took a decision to deploy officials of the department with nursing background to various clinics to assist with backlog and to deal with emergency cases. This is in addition to the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) health personnel who have been deployed to some of our facilities to assist.
“I am pleased with the commitment of South Africans who are willing to go beyond the call for duty in this time of need. We also appreciate the spirit of volunteerism that we have witness since the beginning of the public service strike”. A number of volunteers have come to our facilities to offer their services free of charge.
The level of health service delivery is beginning to improve substantially with promise to get back to normality. Regardless of the strike Gelukspan Hospital managed to deliver 16 babies since the strike started on 19 August. No cases of maternal deaths were reported in our facilities and non striking health professionals, SANDF and volunteers have been working around the clock to prevent any undesirable cases.
The MEC has further established four teams of senior departmental officials who are going to visit each of the four districts. The mandate of the four teams is to among others continue the work that the MEC has started by assessing the situation in our facilities, providing interventions and support.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has also beefed up security in our facilities to deal with any possible cases of intimidation to non striking health professionals and to secure our health facilities.
Our health workers are therefore reminded of the fact that they are offering essential services and they are therefore not allowed to participate on strike. They are urged to immediately return to their work places as adequate security has been arranged with the SAPS.
The MEC has further apologised to the communities for any inconvenience that the strike might have caused on provision of quality health care services.
The MEC will tomorrow lead one of the teams that will visit health facilities in the Bojanala District while the Head of Department Dr Lydia Sebego will lead a team that will visit Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.
Enquires:
Tebogo Lekgethwane
Department Spokesperson
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
